Wellesley Athlete of the Week is made possible with sponsorship support from Deland, Gibson Insurance. The family-owned and operated business has carried on this Wellesley tradition for over 30 years.

Athlete of the Week: Julia Bessette

Sport: Field hockey (midfield, senior captain)

When & how you got involved in this sport: For as long as I can remember my Dad and both of my older sisters have played, so I too started at a very young age.

What you love most about this sport:  I love the team aspect of the sport and having to work with each person on the team to really make the game work.

Pre-game ritual: Always have to make sure to do my handshake with Kaitlyn Uller before we go on the field for each quarter.

Top goal for this season: Make it far in tournament.

Thoughts about this year’s team: I think that we have a team full of really strong and skilled players.  Since we do have so many seniors on the team I think that each player has a great sense for the game, meaning that our team has not only skills but a really good IQ on the field.

An accomplishment that you’re especially proud of: For this team especially I’m proud of the fact that we’ve been able to make it into the tournament every year since I’ve been on the team.

An inspiring story related to your involvement in the sport/this team: Coming from someone who’s been on the team for 4 years now, I think it’s really inspiring to see how the team has grown and changed through the years, especially with all of the big senior classes we’ve graduated. Being able to see the team stay this strong each year has been really inspiring to watch.

Interests outside of your sport: I really enjoy hanging out with friends and seeing new places.

Coach Erin Stickle on Julia Bessette: Julia has an incredible field hockey IQ and controls our entire field. A lot of our offensive transitions are started by Julia’s outstanding defensive skills and great anticipation of reading opposing teams passes. She knows her teammates and plays to their strengths to make everyone better on the field. She is confident, strong, fast and smart.

(Athletes of the Week are nominated by their coaches.)

Wellesley Athlete of the Week is made possible with sponsorship support from Deland, Gibson Insurance. The family-owned and operated business has carried on this Wellesley tradition for over 30 years.

Athlete of the Week: Peyton Keyes

Sport: Girls’ Soccer (center mid & senior captain)

When & how you got involved in this sport: I have played ever since kindergarten.

What you love most about this sport: I love the team and the competitiveness that comes with playing on a team at this level.

Pre-game ritual: I usually just listen to music either in my airpods or on the team speaker.

Top goal for this season: To win a state championship.

Thoughts about this year’s team: I think we have a very special, talented, and competitive group of girls who really care about each other and can compete at a very high level.

An accomplishment that you’re especially proud of:  I am proud that I am a four-year starter on varsity and was first team all state my sophomore year.

An inspiring story related to your involvement in the sport/this team: It is inspiring the way we have adapted to a new coach and a new environment and had so much success so far because of that.

Interests outside of your sport: I run track and also have a job at an assisted care place.

Coach Dave Wainwright on Peyton Keyes: Our senior captain has delivered all season for the girls varsity soccer team. Peyton’s play making ability consistently has caused challenges for our opponents. Peyton possesses the skills and experience to be considered one of the best in our league. Our 8-2 record isn’t achievable without her contributions on and off the field.

Athlete of the Week: Matthew Martin 

Sport: Boys’ Soccer (striker & senior captain)

When & how you got involved in this sport: I’ve been playing soccer since I could walk. My mom grew up playing soccer as well and my dad has been a huge soccer fan since he was a kid.

What you love most about this sport: I love the fact that there is so much strategy and variety in the different formations and positions you can play.

Pre-game ritual: I always eat a banana and listen to SoundCloud remixes.

Top goal for this season: My first goal was to make playoffs because my first 3 years here I never have. However after our 2-1 win over Braintree we have just clinched playoffs. So now, my goal is to make a run in playoffs and show other teams we’re not the same program we’ve been in the past.

Thoughts about this year’s team: It’s different. That is the only word I like to use. The energy is different. The mentality is different. The community is different. We are different than other teams and it is the best team I could ever ask for.

An accomplishment that you’re especially proud of:  Previous to this season I would have said my biggest accomplishment in the sport is making the national championship with my club soccer team. However, the feeling I get being a captain of a winning team and seeing the growth from all our boys is challenging that accomplishment.

An inspiring story related to your involvement in the sport/this team:  A cool story that always comes to mind is when I was in the 3rd grade playing soccer, my dad was my coach for a lot of my youth. However, the other person that was there coaching me was Chris Howard. The same Chris Howard that just helped us qualify for playoffs with 5 games left in the season. It’s a very full circle moment growing up being coached by the guy who is coaching me my senior season.

Interests outside of your sport: I really enjoy playing sports, spending time with friends, and exploring the outdoors.

What other sports do you play, if any? I play basketball

Coach Chris Howard on Matthew Martin: Matt is one of our captains and has led the team alongside Alex Gold. He shows up in every game and gives 100% to the team and to the game. Matt has scored 3 goals this week calling off a good run for the team as well. He is also a great kid to have on the team.

(Athletes of the Week are nominated by their coaches.)

Wellesley Athlete of the Week is made possible with sponsorship support from Deland, Gibson Insurance. The family-owned and operated business has carried on this Wellesley tradition for over 30 years.

Athlete of the Week: Ben Aronson

Sport: Boys cross country; senior captain

When & how you got involved in this sport: I started running competitively on a team in 6th grade. Outside of that, I had only done local fun runs like the Schofield 5k and the Turkey Trot.

What you love most about this sport: I love that running rewards hard work; it’s gratifying to see positive results after training hard. For me, that translates not only to the amount I run, but to recovery—nutrition, sleep, stretching, etc.

Pre-race ritual: I don’t really have a set routine/ritual; it often varies meet by meet.

Top goal for this season: My goals are to run 15:45 in the 5k and for our team to place top 10 in the state.

Thoughts about this year’s team: I think we are strong. We have a lot of depth and people really put in work over the summer, which is showing in our races. We definitely have high potential, especially with two more months to train.

An accomplishment that you’re especially proud of: I am proud of running under 5 minutes in the mile my freshman year. I trained throughout all of indoor and outdoor track for that one specific goal and it came down to the final meet. At the meet I had a breakthrough and ran 4:56. I’m particularly proud of that race because it was an accumulation of hard work over the course of 6 months.

An inspiring story related to your involvement in the sport/this team: Last year, Stephen Goehringer, who was a senior at the time, had a rough injury at the begin of the season. As a result, he missed out on over half of our races and started training late. However, he always maintained a positive attitude and he came back from injury stronger than ever. He ended up racing extremely well and helped the team a lot. Stephen is someone I really look up to not only as a runner but as a leader.

Interests outside of your sport: I have been bouldering a lot recently. I got into it two summers ago and found it really fun. It’s also not bad for building muscle strength that helps with running.

Coach Colin Corkery on Ben Aronson: Ben Aronson has been our leading runner this season. This past weekend he finished 17th out of 233 runners and had a personal record time of 16:05 for 5,000 meters at the Frank Kelley Invitational in Wrentham. As one of the captains of the team, he has been helping to inspire and support his teammates to do their best. Ben has been instrumental in creating a culture where guys work exceedingly hard both at practices and races, too. He’s been a source of tremendous positive energy for the team this season.

Athlete of the Week: Bridget Reidy

Sport: Girls cross country; senior

When & how you got involved in this sport: I started running in middle school as a way to train for soccer, but going into high school I decided to switch to running full time as my primary sport. I always say that this is the best decision I’ve ever made!

What you love most about this sport: I love the team and community of this sport and how everyone is always there supporting each other. Running can be a very individual sport because everyone is running for themselves and for their own time, but every year I’ve been on the team, we have always had the focus of driving the team spirit and camaraderie. I have met my closest friends on this team and for that i am eternally grateful.

Pre-race ritual: I always listen to music before I race!

Top goal for this season: For this season, my goal is have fun! I want to remember all the positives and fun experiences of cross country having this be my last season. I also want to do well this season and I’m hoping to be able to run sub 19:00 again.

Thoughts about this year’s team: Our team is filled with so much talent this year- from freshman brand new to the sport to seniors who have run for 4 years, we have so many speedy girls on the team and such a positive environment and I’m excited for when we all race together at invitationals.

An accomplishment that you’re especially proud of: I am very proud of my course record I hold at our home course at Morses Pond. This is when I PR’d with a time of 18:56 and had the best race mentally and physically. I felt so supported by my team and family and friends going into this race and I think this is one of the reasons I was able to run so fast.

An inspiring story related to your involvement in the sport/this team: One inspiring story is when my friend Audrey Fitzpatrick (who is a freshman at Virginia Tech) won the Bay State conference meet after working hard for the whole season. Watching her win that race and be so happy after the race reminded me why I love the sport.

Interests outside of your sport: Outside of running, I spend a lot of time with my family and friends. My favorite school subjects are English and psychology. I also am a part of challenge success club to promote success that is outside of academics. During the summer I teach sailing to little kids and spend time with childhood friends.

What other sports do you play, if any? I want to thank my coaches Cassie and Griff for all of their support and help throughout the past four years. They have made me into a confident leader and a strong runner and I wouldn’t be the runner or person I am without their guidance.

Coach John Griffith on Bridget Reidy: Bridget is always positive, reliable, and approachable to her teammates. Her hard work and dedication is a major influence on our younger athletes. Bridget is a leader on and off the field and I can’t wait to see her achieve her individual accomplishments. I know she will do anything to help meet our team goals as well.

Wellesley Athlete of the Week is made possible with sponsorship support from Deland, Gibson Insurance. The family-owned and operated business has carried on this Wellesley tradition for over 30 years.

Athlete of the Week: Brian Campbell, Wellesley High senior

Sport: Boys golf, captain

When did you get involved in this sport: Started when I was 13.

What you love most about this sport: I love being around my teammates and being able to come together as a team and put together some really good team scores.

Top goal for this season: My top goal is for us to win the cape cod national tournament and of course the state championship.

Thoughts so far about this year’s team: We are very solid and have lots of depth. We have a top 6 guys that I would put up against any team in the state.

An accomplishment that you’re especially proud of:  I’m very proud to be named captain of the team. Being on the team since freshman year I’ve always looked up to the captains and being able to have the opportunity to lead a team to a state championship is awesome.

An inspiring story related to your involvement in the sport/this team:  One inspiring story is one of our seniors, AJ Sacher, was really struggling at the start of the year but instead of giving up he was always the last guy to get off the range at practice and this week he scored an even par 36, which is the best of his career (9 straight pars).

What other sports do you play, if any? I’ve played hockey my entire life but the last two years I’ve stopped so I could focus on college recruitment for golf.

Coach Ken Bateman on Brian Campbell: Brian is a Captain of the team, and has been an integral part of the team’s success over the last few years. He is consistently in the top 2 golfers at every match. He leads the team on and off the course through his steady play and leadership.

Wellesley Athlete of the Week is made possible with sponsorship support from Deland, Gibson Insurance. The family-owned and operated business has carried on this Wellesley tradition for over 30 years.

Athlete of the Week: Tate Bannish, Wellesley High senior

Athlete of the Week: Mia Hasselback, Wellesley High senior

Sport: Softball (shortstop)

When & how you got involved in this sport: I started playing when I was 5 years old and fell in love with the sport! My dad also played collegiate baseball so I think that helped a little bit too!

What you love most about this sport: I love the community and team aspect of softball. It’s such a mental sport and your teammates truly become like sisters on and off the field. I also love playing the infield because you’re always on your feet moving around and always involved in the play one way or another. Softball can be so fast paced and slow paced at times and I love it.

Pre-race ritual: I always wear my hair the exact same way and have to wear my white visor.

Top goal for this season: My top goal for this season is to hopefully be ranked in the top 16 so we have the opportunity to host a round of 32 playoff game!

Thoughts so far about this year’s team: This team is truly a special one. I have loved being a part of this team. Everyone wants to win and has the desire to be better everyday, we’ve worked hard and continue to battle on the field every day! I look forward to practice and games every single day with this team.

An accomplishment that you’re especially proud of: I am really proud of how this program has grown since covid. I am especially proud of our playoff win against Shrewsbury last year!

An inspiring story related to your involvement in the sport/this team: We found out our Coach is in the 30 for 30 ESPN documentary series episode where it covers the Red Sox’s World Series comeback and we watched it at a team dinner. That’s how our team slogan, “Why not us,” was born.

Interests outside of your sport: I love spending time with my family and my friends. In school I love my anatomy class!

Wellesley Athlete of the Week is made possible with sponsorship support from Deland, Gibson Insurance. The family-owned and operated business has carried on this Wellesley tradition for over 30 years.

Athlete of the Week: Brady Welburn, Wellesley High School senior

Sport: Sailing (crew/skipper)

When & how you got involved in this sport: I started sailing when I was five at Stone Horse Yacht Club.

What you love most about this sport: I love all the friends that I’ve made and have really enjoyed to the team’s atmosphere.

Pre-race ritual: I’m always drinking Vitamin water while sailing.

Top goal for this season: I really hope to win Mass Bay Leagues at CBI in Boston.

Thoughts so far about this year’s team: I’ve really liked being on this team. I’ve known a lot of people here for so long that this year, being our last year, is really special.

An accomplishment that you’re especially proud of: We won the Sharon Invitational, which was awesome.

A funny or inspiring story related to your involvement in the sport/this team: Fun fact: Zach Bender and I have been sailing at the same sailing club since we were five.

Interests outside of your sport: I really enjoy English class. I’m also a member of the school’s jazz choir, the Rice Street Singers.

What other sports you play, if any: I play tennis, but not at our school.

Athlete of the Week: Zach Bender, Wellesley High School senior

Sport: Sailing (Skipper)

When & how you got involved in this sport: From the age of about 3 my parents, who were a part of Stone Horse Yacht Club, got me on the water as much as they could and into sailing classes.

What you love most about this sport: What I love most about the sailing team is the community of it. I feel that we are very close as a team, having team dinners almost every week, making it always enjoyable. As far as the sport itself I just love how many variables there are in it, the conditions are never the same as the day before, it’s like a new experience every sail.

Pre-race ritual: Sometimes before an away race we will grab a speaker and play “I’m Shipping Up To Boston” by Dropkick Murphys

Top goal for this season: My main goals for this season are to place first in the Mass Bay League for team racing and leave the team better off than this year. I hope for next year’s team to be even better than this year’s, so I’ll do what I can to improve the team as I go.

Thoughts so far about this year’s team: I feel very good about this year’s team. I think that we are in a strong position in the league and everyone has been doing great in fleet and team racing. I’m very impressed with everyone’s performance. I also feel that this year’s team is a great group of fun people all just sharing a common interest, always a blast at practices.

An accomplishment that you’re especially proud of: An accomplishment I’m especially proud of is winning the Fleet Race MBL Championship two years ago.

A funny or inspiring story related to your involvement in the sport/this team: A funny story of me on the team was losing a rudder in the lake during my freshman year. It was incredibly embarrassing for my first year on the sailing team and I have yet to live it down.

Interests outside of your sport: I’ve always been obsessed with anything engineering related so I’m a huge car guy. I do all of my own maintenance on my car and work on it in my free time.